


After

by anythingpastorpresent



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 21:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anythingpastorpresent/pseuds/anythingpastorpresent
Summary: Tony wakes up in a recovery room in Wakanda, with Steve Rogers holding his hand.





	After

**Author's Note:**

> Tony Stark Bingo fill for square R4, hurt/comfort

Tony wakes up in a recovery room in Wakanda, with Steve Rogers holding his hand.

"You were _stabbed_ ," he says, and his voice sounds more broken than Tony's ever heard it. Tony doesn't have to ask about Barnes; he can tell from Steve's face. "You were stabbed and then you flew a spaceship all the way back to earth and you had internal bleeding and you were _making jokes_ \--" Steve cuts off abruptly, as if he’s been punched in the stomach.

Tony doesn't remember any of this. "Were they at least good jokes?"

Steve laughs, but it sounds more like a sob, and he squeezes Tony's hand and holds it up to his face. His lips brush skin, making Tony's fingers tingle.

 

The first thing Tony does when he gets back to the compound is make himself a drink. He doesn't ask FRIDAY who did and didn't survive. He ignores the texts from Rhodey and Pepper and goes down to his workshop, glass in one hand and bottle in the other. It's not that long until he gives up on the glass entirely and starts drinking straight from the bottle.

He's halfway to spectacularly drunk when he finally finds the will to do what he came down here to do.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?" Karen asks, and her voice is so sweet it makes Tony feel like crying. Had he known she referred to him as "Mr. Stark"? She no doubt inherited that from Peter.

"Karen, play Peter's last voicemail to me, please."

He could have done this through FRIDAY. It would've made more sense to do this through FRIDAY. But...Karen was Peter's. And what Tony wants more than anything is to feel close to him right now.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," Peter's sleepy-sounding voice begins, and Tony takes another swig from the bottle.

Five voicemails later, he stops. The silence makes him want to throw up. Or maybe that’s just the alcohol.

"Mr. Stark?" At Karen's hesitant pause, Tony knows immediately what's coming next. Still, it's like a punch to the gut when it happens.

"Where is Peter?"

Tony puts his head in his hands and cries.

 

Steve is the one to find him. He's ended up leaning against the couch, if not on it, at the very least.

Steve doesn't help him up and to bed, or give him water or lecture him about his drinking. Instead he picks Tony up from the floor and sits on the couch, cradling Tony in his arms. It makes Tony start crying again, face buried in Steve's shirt.

"Peter's gone," he sobs into Steve's chest.

"I know," Steve says.

"I _lost my kid_ ," Tony says.

"I know," Steve says, softer. "I'm sorry."

Tony can hear the double meaning behind the words, knows that Steve's "I'm sorry" isn't just about Peter. "Me too." Steve kisses Tony's forehead.

It doesn't make it better. Peter's still dead. Half the world is just…gone, and there are disasters everywhere from suddenly unmanned vehicles plowing into each other and planes without pilots suddenly crashing and Tony knows it's only going to get worse from here.

But Steve's arms tighten around him, and Tony feels…something. Less alone, maybe. It's easier to breathe than it was before.

It’s not better. But it's something.


End file.
